


Kiss You Dark and Long

by sassybell (karenec)



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Ficlets, Hurt/Comfort, I REGRET NOTHING, M/M, almost pwp, basically smut, slight schmoop, writing challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 13:29:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6081183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karenec/pseuds/sassybell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The patient endurance in Jim’s eyes filled Leonard with a host of emotions: despair, admiration, fear, adoration, and more, feelings too wild and dangerous for Leonard to examine. So instead of speaking, he let his body take action, stepping forward to wind his arms over Jim’s chest and thrust his face against the skin of Jim’s neck, hoping to convey the things he felt through touch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss You Dark and Long

**Author's Note:**

> This is short fic that I challenged myself to write in under 5K words--it's at least half smut. I regret nothing.

Leonard blew out a long breath as walked into his office, rolling his head slowly from side to side to ease the tension in his shoulders. He’d spent most of alpha and beta shifts in surgery after an away mission had gone badly, and he was ready for a hot shower, a non-replicated steak, and a cold beer or two. Too bad his chances of getting to enjoy even one of those simple pleasures were slim and none.

 

Making his way to his desk, Leonard sat down with a sigh. He pulled his communicator from the clip on his belt, frowning as he read through the messages that had queued up while he’d been in surgery. Nearly all of them were from his captain and each telegraphed Jim’s anxiety over the well-being of his crew.

 

“Damnit.” Looking away from the communicator, Leonard let his gaze lose focus until movement at the door caught his attention. He straightened as glanced up, and met Christine Chapel’s cool blue gaze.

 

“You okay, boss?” she asked.

 

“Sure.” He nodded at the tablet in her hand and waved her in. “What have you got?”

 

They talked through the patient notes and Leonard set treatment parameters for the third shift before he folded his hands on top of the desk.

 

“I expect M’Benga will turn up early to alpha shift,” he said. “I practically had to bribe him before he’d take himself off duty.”

 

“He learned from the best.” Christine met Leonard’s withering look with a smirk. “I could have the nursing staff kick him back out if you like?”

 

“Nah--Beckett can handle him.” Leonard grinned as Christine laughed in agreement. It was common knowledge that Geoff M’Benga was sweet on April Beckett--whether Geoff ever screwed up the courage to tell his fellow doctor about his feelings still remained to be seen.

 

Leonard glanced at the communicator he’d placed on his desk and licked his lips. “Chapel, I assume the nurses have been sending regular updates to the Bridge today?”

 

“Yes, sir--every hour.” Christine laid the tablet in her lap, her brows drawing together. “Why?”

 

“I’ve got a half-dozen messages comms from Captain Kirk.” Leonard brought a hand up to rub his cheek. “I’m surprised he’s not camped out in the middle of MedBay to be honest.”

 

“Well … the staff says he _was_ camped out in the middle of MedBay several times while you were in surgery.”

 

“Oh, Lord.”

 

Christine nodded, looking distinctly unimpressed. “I personally sent him on his way not ten minutes before coming in here.”

 

“How’d you manage that?”

 

“Told him you’d been on your feet for the better part of twelve hours and that you needed a break.”

 

Leonard rolled his eyes. “Your mother hen is showing.”

 

“So is your pompous ass,” Christine countered. “I did promise the captain he'd get an update as soon as you and I were finished, however, so I’ll send one now, if you like--”

 

Leonard shook his head. “I’ll go brief him in person—better that than make him read through another set of reports.”

 

Christine looked at Leonard askance. “You should get some food and rest, boss.”

 

“I’ll take that under advisement, ma’am.”

 

“Don’t make me go to Kirk. Or _Spock_ ,” she added, her eyes narrowing as Leonard cursed under his breath.

 

“Spock’s been taken off duty,” Leonard pointed out, “or at least I hope he has considering Geoff dug a piece of shrapnel out of the stubborn bastard’s shoulder a couple of hours ago.” He scowled at Christine’s shrug.

 

“Commander Spock was released to his quarters at 13:30 to rest. As you know from his chart, the injury did not impact Mr. Spock’s internal organs or result in significant blood loss, and he is scheduled to take the Con for alpha shift at 08:00.”

 

“Well, that’s just cheating,” Leonard muttered.

 

Christine chuckled and got to her feet. “And that brings us back to _your_ state of well-being, sir.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, fine.” Leonard huffed as he stood too. “You’re about as subtle as a Klingon.”

 

Christine shot him a sweet smile as they headed for the door. “I learned from the best.”

 

~oOo~

 

Leonard had to admit Christine was right as he made his way into the CMO’s quarters; he was tired, in both body and mind. His day wasn’t over though, and he went to the work area in the corner to lay his communicator on the desk as he sat down to pull off his boots.

 

“Computer, locate James T. Kirk,” he ordered, pulling at his socks as the central computer’s smooth voice replied.

 

“Captain James T. Kirk is currently located in the Warp Drive Engineering Complex on deck fifteen.”

 

A chill spread through Leonard’s middle. The idea of _anyone_ spending time near the warp core still made his skin crawl, though it had been years since the mess with Khan (since Jim had died). Why his captain enjoyed spending time down there, Leonard couldn’t fathom, but it wasn’t something he worried about anymore. Jim was an engineer at heart and part of him was drawn to the systems that made up the _Enterprise’s_ core; as long as he passed his psych evals, Jim had Starfleet’s (and Leonard’s) okay to crawl around in the guts of his ship all he wanted.

 

Leonard picked his communicator up as he stood, tapping out a message to Jim as he crossed the room toward the sleeping area.

 

_Meet me for dinner. We’ll eat matter masquerading as food while you tell me I shouldn’t side with Spock when he volunteers to lead away missions._

 

Jim responded quickly, the message chirping through on Leonard’s communicator as he pulled his uniform shirts over his head.

 

_Chapel kicked me out of the MedBay, Bones--my pride needs something stronger than food in disguise. Back by 19:00._

 

Leonard paused, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth as he stood bare chested by the rarely used bunk. He spent little time in that cabin, using it mostly for storage, and the grey space had the anonymous feel of a hotel room--hushed and vaguely sterile, always at the ready for someone to make use of its potential. Leonard went there when he needed a place to think or on nights like this, when the MedBay was full and he wanted to stick close, rather than staying in Jim’s quarters as he normally did. He remembered the anxiety coloring Jim’s comms then, and gave himself a shake, quickly pulling underclothes and an off-duty uniform from the storage bin under the bunk before heading for the bathroom. Putting his captain’s worries to rest was more important than where Leonard spent the night.

 

He zoned out for a few minutes under the sonic shower before rousing himself to step out, and was patting his cheeks with beard suppressor when a soft sound in the cabin outside caught his attention. Drawing a towel around his hips, Leonard palmed the bathroom door open in time to catch Jim setting a pair of highball glasses beside a bottle on the small table in the seating area.

 

“What are you doing here?” Leonard stepped out of the bathroom, scanning Jim with his gaze, looking for signs that something might be amiss before he glanced at the chronometer on the wall. “You said 19:00 in your comm--”

 

“And then I figured out you weren’t even in my cabin,” Jim finished, his gaze bright as it met Leonard’s. He straightened and gestured at Leonard with the bottle, holding it by its long, curved neck. “Didn’t take me long to figure out where you were hiding.”

 

Leonard scoffed. “I’m not _hiding_ . I was _showering_.” He moved to stand behind the low partition separating the sleep and work spaces and dropped the towel. “It was a long couple of shifts,” he added, pulling on the black undershirt and boxer briefs. “I wanted time to get my head on straight before I met you--”

 

“And the CMO’s quarters are closer to the MedBay than the Captain’s. I get it.”

 

Leonard frowned. “Stop finishing my sentences--it’s weird and a little obnoxious.”

 

He felt a regretful pang when Jim’s easy smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, reminding himself that Jim wasn’t really in the right frame of mind to deal with the usual dose of McCoy sass. Pulling on his dark trousers, Leonard took a moment to slip the towel and discarded duty uniform into the laundry chute before padding over barefoot to join Jim, who was busy pouring two fingers of amber-colored liquor into the glasses on the table.

 

“Jim--”

 

“I know what you’re going to say.” Jim set the bottle down, taking a glass in each hand as he straightened.

 

Leonard cocked his head, suppressing a sigh at being interrupted _again_. “Oh, do you now?”

 

“That Spock was right to lead the away mission today. That you and the rest of the Command crew were right to side with him.” Jim handed Leonard one of the glasses, dropping his gaze to the stare into the depths of the other. “That nothing I could have done differently would have changed the mission’s eventual outcome.”

 

Leonard stood quiet for a moment. “You’re wrong, you know.” He reached to take Jim’s free hand in his own, relishing the feel of Jim’s warm skin against his. “I wasn’t going to say any of those things.”

 

Jim sipped from his glass and swallowed, looking at Leonard askance. “Are you feeling okay?”

 

“I ... yes? Why?”

 

“Because it’s not like you to pass up an opportunity to cut me down to size.”

 

“O-o-kay.” Leonard pushed down the sting he felt at Jim’s words and nodded toward the low grey couch. “Have a seat, Captain Crankypants, and I’ll give you the updates you’ve been waiting for.”

 

“Bones.” Jim sighed as they wound their way around the table. His expression was serious as they sat down, but he didn’t let go of Leonard's hand. “I expected reports from Chapel, not an in-person briefing--”

 

“Yeah, well, you’re gonna get one anyway,” Leonard cut in only to pause as the door chime sounded.

 

Jim looked sheepish. “You mentioned having dinner, so I had the mess send down some food,” he said, letting go of Leonard’s hand to stand. “I can have them come back later if you’d rather wait until--”

 

“I would not rather,” Leonard retorted, getting to his feet too. “No reason we can’t eat and debrief at the same time. Besides, the last time I ate was 06:00 this morning and if you send my dinner away now, I will put you down.”

 

They made room on the little table for the tray of food that was carried in, setting out plates of sandwiches and salads before sitting down to eat. Sure, the breads and meats were replicated, and Leonard’s patient updates hardly qualified as polite dinner conversation, but the vegetables in their salads were fresh, courtesy of the _Enterprise’s_ Botany Bay, and the bottle of Saurian brandy helped smooth over the rough patches as they talked. Leonard felt almost human by the time they’d finished, and Jim was visibly much more relaxed.

 

“You told me I was wrong earlier,” he said as Leonard was stacking their plates back on the tray. “That you weren’t going to give me shit about the away mission.”

 

“I never planned to.” Leonard crossed the room with the tray, sliding everything into the recycler slot before turning to face Jim. “I’m kind of at a loss to understand why you think I would in the first place, Jim, because giving you shit over a mission gone bad and your crew being injured just isn’t my style.”

 

Jim sat back in his seat, rubbing a hand over his hair. “Giving me shit is kind of your main MO, Bones—you can’t deny that. I wouldn't change that about you, either. You question me and keep me on my toes just as often as Spock, and it's one of the reasons we all work well together. Why _you and I_ work well together.”

 

“Okay, sure. But we’re off duty now.” Jim’s expression was pinched, and Leonard forced himself to remain standing instead of going to sit at his side. “I know you blame yourself for the way the mission went down, despite the fact that you’ve never set foot on that planet and had no way of knowing what would happen to the team. And while I may be a mouthy SOB, I’m not in the habit of kicking you when you’re already down.”

 

Jim got to his feet. “I know that.” He crossed the room to stand at Leonard’s side, one hand coming to rest against his hip. “I’m frustrated by this shit day and taking it out on you and that’s not fair.”

 

Leonard cocked his head, reading the stress in Jim’s face. “Are you okay? Anything else I can tell you about the crew?”

 

“It’ll keep ‘til tomorrow.” Jim’s voice was low and his eyes very blue as they moved over Leonard’s face. “You mind if I stay here tonight? Doesn’t feel right asking you to come back to my quarters when I know you want to stick close to MedBay.”

 

“You know you don’t have to ask,” Leonard told him, covering the hand on his hip with his own. This close, he could smell the faint citrus tones of the lotion Jim liked to use on his face and hands, and he breathed in deeply as Jim gave him a melancholy smile

 

“Yeah, well … I acted like an asshole earlier.”

 

Leonard pulled away with a chuckle, moving toward the sleeping area to pull two sets of sleeping garments from the storage unit, Jim following close behind. He straightened and turned, pressing one set of soft, dark clothes to Jim’s chest. “I wrote the book on being an asshole, Jim. You need to do a hell of a lot worse to hurt my feelings.”

 

Jim took the bundle from Bones with a frown. “That’s a lie, Bones. And you’re not an asshole.”

 

“Mmm ... my ex-wife would disagree,” Leonard replied, “and she’s not the only one. Not that I give a fuck.” He raised both hands to rest on either side of Jim’s neck, kneading the tight trapezius muscles until Jim let out a quiet groan. Gently, Leonard turned him toward the bathroom and gave him a little push. “Go on. Get cleaned up before someone calls a Red Alert or Pointy gets it into his head to debrief you for the third time today.”

 

~oOo~

 

Leonard was changed for bed and seated on the bunk with a PADD when the bathroom door hissed open again, but it was another minute or two before he realized Jim had yet to emerge. Putting the PADD aside, he got to his feet and quickly found Jim standing shirtless at the sink, sonic toothbrush in hand and borrowed sleep pants hanging low on his hips.

 

Jim’s expression was careworn as he met Leonard’s gaze in the mirror, the stress and trauma of the long day clearly weighing on him. Very few people were allowed to see _this_ Jim Kirk, the man marked by both his captaincy and the long years of near-solitude he’d endured _before_ finding a home with Starfleet. The patient endurance in Jim’s eyes filled Leonard with a host of emotions: despair, admiration, fear, adoration, and more, feelings too wild and dangerous for Leonard to examine. So instead of speaking, he let his body take action, stepping forward to wind his arms over Jim’s chest and thrust his face against the skin of Jim’s neck, hoping to convey the things he felt through touch.

 

A shiver ran through Jim’s body. His toothbrush clattered into the sink as he turned his head, brushing his nose against Leonard’s temple as he reached up to grab hold of Leonard’s forearms with a quiet sigh. Leonard closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, his skin tingling wherever it came into contact with Jim’s. Desire thrummed in his stomach as Jim pressed back, fitting the curve of his ass against Leonard’s groin.

 

“Mmm, Bones,” Jim murmured, his breath warm against Leonard’s forehead.

 

Forcing his eyes open, Leonard raised a hand to catch hold of Jim’s chin, guiding his head back and exposing the long, pale column of his throat. Jim uttered a hungry little noise as Leonard kissed him, head settling against Leonard’s shoulder as their bodies ground together.

 

They were panting by the time they broke apart, and Leonard hauled Jim back and out of the bathroom, manhandling him across the room and only allowing him to turn around after they’d bumped up against the bunk. He relished the weight of Jim’s arms around his neck, the heat of Jim’s bare skin under his hands, and the taste of brandy and toothpaste on Jim’s tongue. Jim groaned loudly as Leonard dropped a hand to grab his ass, and the sound made Leonard’s head spin.

 

"Jesus," Jim muttered, his lips moving against Leonard’s throat. "I thought you were ready to sack out until our next shift."

 

Leonard kissed along the line of Jim’s jaw with a hum. “We can always stop if you’d rather wait --”

 

Jim pulled back with an offended noise, clearly exasperated to have his earlier words thrown back in his face. “I would _not_ fucking rather.”

 

Leonard’s brows rose. “You get mean when you’re horny,” he teased.

 

“And you talk too goddamned much,” Jim countered, reaching to tug at the hem of Leonard’s shirt.

 

Leonard lifted his arms, arching his back as the garment was slipped over his head, then gritted his teeth as Jim loosened the drawstring of his sleep pants. He pulled Jim close to kiss him, groaning softly as Jim pushed the pants over Leonard’s thighs and thrust his tongue into Leonard’s mouth. One kiss became two and then three and then more, until Leonard forced himself to stop so he could pull at the drawstring of Jim’s pants, noting with a smile that Jim had skipped wearing underwear altogether.

 

“Look at you.” He ran his fingertips over Jim’s body as the garment fell away, admiring the hard planes of muscle and miles of creamy skin, his touch making Jim’s breath stutter.

 

Jim guided him down to sit on the bunk and then straddled Leonard’s lap, his cock hot and rigid against Leonard’s belly. Leonard wound his arms around Jim’s waist, fingers pressing hard into the small of his back, and swallowed Jim’s gasp with a hungry kiss. Using his body weight, Jim leaned into Leonard, tipping him back against the mattress, stroking the skin over Leonard’s shoulders and chest with his hands. Both of them hissed as their cocks met.

 

“God,” Leonard breathed as Jim pressed deep, wet kisses into his throat, and his hips bucked up as Jim’s teeth grazed his Adam's apple. "You tryin’ to scramble my brains?"

 

Jim gave a low, filthy chuckle. "I’m trying to make you come in your pants, Bones. Too bad you’re not wearing any."

 

Leonard ran his hands over Jim’s ass, then rolled them both until Jim was on his back. Reaching over him, Leonard retrieved the lube he kept in the nightstand, then settled back to rest his weight on his hip and elbow. He took another moment to admire his lover’s body while slicking his fingers, finally meeting Jim’s gaze as he slipped his right hand down to circle Jim’s cock.

 

Jim’s whole body jolted. "Fuck, Bones."

 

"Yeah," Leonard murmured, closing his eyes for a moment against the heat thrumming through body. He gave Jim a leisurely stroke, and turned his attention to Jim’s chest, kissing and licking the skin to make him squirm.

 

“Love you like this,” Leonard murmured, ignoring Jim’s moan as he let go of Jim and pulled back, climbing over Jim’s body to settle on his stomach between Jim’s legs. He pushed Jim’s knees up and spread his thighs wide, right hand moving to stroke Jim’s cock again as his left hand slid along the cleft of Jim’s ass, fingers rubbing slow circles into sensitive flesh.

 

“Love watching you when you’re all spread out and perfect for me.” Slowly, he pushed a finger into Jim, swallowing hard as Jim whined and fisted the sheets. Leonard was so hard he ached.  

 

Jim pushed his head back into the pillow with a huff, gaze locked on Leonard’s as a sheen of sweat broke out over his skin. “Bones," he breathed, his cheeks and chest flushed a deep, rosy pink.

 

“That’s it,” Leonard crooned as he bent to take Jim in his mouth, closing his eyes as Jim’s hands came to rest on his head. He took Jim deep, aware of Jim’s gruff curse above him, and slid a second finger in beside the first, feeling Jim’s body shudder.

 

Leonard lost himself in the sensations surrounding him, letting them feed his own swirling desire: the crisp hair of Jim’s thighs against his cheeks, the heat of Jim’s body around his fingers, the weight of Jim’s dick on his tongue. Crooking his fingers, Leonard swallowed, pressing his nose into the curls of hair at the base of Jim’s cock and humming as Jim thrust up roughly into his mouth. He breathed in the smell of Jim’s clean sweat and relished the bittersweet taste of his pre-come and sound of his needy noises, licking and sucking until Jim was trembling, patiently reducing his lover to a writhing, begging mess.

 

“Bones!”

 

Jim’s voice broke over Leonard’s name and he fisted Leonard’s hair, the sweet sting sending a bolt of lust through Leonard so intense he found himself rutting helplessly against the sheets, struggling hard to control the pleasure coiling tight in his belly.

 

Desperate to watch Jim come apart, Leonard forced his eyes open again, groaning loudly as Jim arched up with a cry, and only sheer force of will kept him from tipping over the edge as Jim’s cock pulsed in his mouth. He sucked and stroked Jim through his orgasm, waiting until Jim slumped back against the sheets before pulling off. Jim shuddered hard at the loss of sensation, moaning softly as Leonard withdrew his fingers, still flying high as Leonard carefully pried his hands loose from where they were tangled in Leonard’s hair.

 

He managed a smile as he slid back up Jim’s body, cock throbbing as he rutted against the sweat-slick skin of Jim’s thigh, holding and kissing his lover as he waited for Jim to come back to himself.

 

"My God." Jim’s pupils were blown wide when he finally opened his eyes. “You are fucking amazing.”

 

“That’s what I hear,” Leonard snarked, then let out a helpless sound as Jim wrapped him up in a hug. “Oh, God.”

 

Jim was smiling as he drew back to look at him, one hand reaching for the lube on the nightstand while the other cupped Leonard’s cheek. “You okay there, Bones?”

 

“No,” Leonard shot back. “You pulled half the hair out of my head and I think I sprained my tongue.” His voice was breathless though, and he shut his eyes, trying desperately to find some degree of control only to shudder hard as a slick hand slid between them to wrap around his dick. “I ... _fuck_ , Jim.”

 

“Jesus,” Jim breathed. His gaze was sharp as Leonard forced his eyes open again. “You’re close.”

 

“I’d lose it right now if I tried to fuck you,” Leonard admitted, gritting his teeth as Jim thumbed his slit. "I … uhhhh. I’m gonna come."

 

Quickly, Leoanrd pushed himself up on his hands and knees, his body trembling over Jim’s as he drove his hips forward into Jim’s fist. Jim stroked him, palm and fingers squeezing just right, while his free hand came up to curl around Leonard’s neck and their gazes locked, grounding Leonard even as he fell apart.

 

“That’s it, baby," Jim murmured, fist moving in time with Leonard’s thrusts. "Show me what I want to see."

 

Leonard let out a hoarse shout as the orgasm barreled through him, expanding out from his belly as his body arched and flexed. White noise filled his ears as his cock pulsed, striping Jim’s chest and belly with come. He sagged forward after the strength in his arms gave out, and was only dimly aware of Jim’s low murmurs as he arranged them both to lie on their sides, his lean legs tangling with Leonard’s.

 

They lay together for long moments, skins sticky with sweat and lube and come as the ship hummed around them. Leonard knew he should get up and find something to wipe them both down, but he couldn’t seem to move, couldn’t even peel his eyelids open when it came down to it. He drifted instead, head resting on Jim’s shoulder, body warm and sated, and smiled as Jim’s lips pressed against his hair.

 

“You still in there, Bones?”

 

Leonard grunted in reply, tilting his head to press a kiss to Jim’s shoulder while Jim’s soft laughter warmed him through and through.

 

“You’re a human disaster.” The conviction in Jim’s tone made Leonard chuckle.

 

“I’m your favorite,” he corrected.

 

Jim sighed. “Yes, you are.”

 

Leonard pulled his head back enough to crack one eye open. His captain looked happy and well-fucked, his blue eyes tired but bright and his cheeks flushed pink. The grin on his absurdly pretty mouth made Leonard grunt in approval. “You look better.”

 

“I feel better.” Jim leaned in for kiss that made them both hum, though his expression was serious as he pulled back again. “Thanks, Bones.”

 

Leonard peeled both eyes open to quirk a brow at him. “What for?”

 

“For understanding me.” Jim brought up a hand to carefully brush the damp hair back from Leonard’s forehead. “For never letting me forget who I really am.”

 

“I think you just thanked me for acting like an asshole,” Leonard muttered with a frown.

 

Jim shook his head, his smile fond. “I thanked you for always acting like the guy I met on the shuttle in Riverside.” He leaned in for another kiss, then pressed his forehead to Leonard’s. “He _can_ be a bit of an asshole, I suppose, but so can I and … that guy is who I need.”

 

Leonard let out a snort of laughter. “You sure about that?”

 

“Hell yes, I’m sure.” Jim settled back against the pillow and lifted a hand to ghost his fingertips over Leonard’s lips. “Never change.”

 

The unguarded emotion in his gaze made Leonard’s chest ache. “Jim--”

 

“I’m serious. You do and I am going to court-martial your ass into the next galaxy,” Jim told him, waiting for Leonard’s nod before he bit his lip, clearly weighing his next words as they watched one another.

 

“Uh-oh. What’s going on in that big head of yours?"

 

“Is it easier for you if we stay here?”

 

Leonard blinked, nonplussed by the abrupt change of topic.

 

“Here in this cabin, I mean,” Jim continued, “rather than in my quarters like we usually do.”

 

They’d never discussed the arrangements that found Leonard in the Captain’s quarters nearly every night, just as they’d never put a name to what they were to each other—something significantly more than friends with benefits, certainly, even if neither of them had voiced anything like a declaration. The unnamed thing between them worked, though, regardless of where they laid their heads every night or kept their belongings every day.

 

“I know I never asked,” Jim was saying, “but I didn’t really _assume_ you wanted to shack up in the Captain’s quarters either, even though that’s where we seem to end up.” He paused as Leonard barked out a laugh. “What?”

 

“Who the hell says ‘shacked up’ anymore?” Leonard spluttered. “We’re on a starship, for fuck’s sake, and this is _me_ we’re talking about, Jim--it’s not like my virtue is in danger or anything.”

 

He let out a yelp as Jim suddenly rolled on top of him, pinning him to the mattress. “I’m being serious, you pain in my ass.”

 

“I know you are, and that just makes it even weirder!” He gasped as Jim kissed him, hands coming up to frame Leonard’s face. The kiss deepened, growing heated before slowing into something tender again, leaving Leonard breathless and feeling humbled after Jim pulled back to meet his gaze once more.

 

“I’m being serious, Bones.” Jim’s voice was soft though his gaze was still intense.

 

“I know you are,” Leonard assured him. “And I honestly don’t care where I sleep when I’m aboard this tin can. Your quarters or mine, either will do just fine, so long as we both want to be there in those moments.”

 

Jim nodded. “Okay. I do, you know,” he murmured, “want to be there, I mean. On board the ship and off. I’m, uh, not one to go on and on about _feelings_ and stuff, but--”

 

“Yeah.” Leonard brought both hands up to rest along the sides of Jim’s neck, swallowing down the wave of emotion that threatened to choke him. “It’s the same for me, Jim. I feel the same.”

 

Jim regarded him for a long moment, eyes shining bright before he smiled in return. Leonard thought--not for the first time--that the sheer beauty of that smile was enough to power a warp core. Part of him wondered, too, if Jim’s smile was just as dangerous, and how long it would be before that smile burnt Leonard up in its wake and left him behind.

 

Jim rolled off of him then, climbing out of bed with a grace that belied his exhaustion. He held out a hand to Leonard, insisting they get cleaned up, and Leonard took that hand (as he always did), casting aside his doubts and worries in exchange for the warm reassurance of Jim’s touch.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Underworld's Dark & Long.
> 
> Thank you for reading.
> 
> This is an unbeta'd piece--if you see any terrible typos, just shout and I'll fix it.


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